Shim for center-bearing plates



May l, 1923. 1,453,661

c. E. DATH SHIM FOR CENTER BEARING PLATES Filed Feb. 16, 1920 PatentedMay 1, 1923. v v

CHARLES E. DATH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM E. MINER, OF

CRAZY, NEW YORK. i

SHIM FOR CENTER-BEARING PLATES.

Application led February 16, 1920. Serial No. 359,042.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. DATH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois. haveinvented a certain new and useful Improve-ment in Shims for Center-Bearing Plates, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this speciication.

This invention relates to improvements in shims for center bearingplates.

In the ope-ration of railway cars, it is the general practice to formthe body bolster center bearing plate and the truck bolster centerbearing plate with co-operating male and female formations so as toprevent rela-- tive lateral shifting between the center bearing platesand thereby prevent shearing of the king pin. As is well known, thesecenter bearing plates are subjected to heavy pressure and consequentlyrapid wear and in addition, a certain amount of sagging frequently'takes place in the body of the car both of which contribute to decreasethe spacing between the outer ends of the bolsters beyond apre-determined minimum limit provided for by Master Car Builders andInterstate Commerce Commission regulations. To compensate for the wearand sagging or distortion mentioned and separate the car body from thetruck the required distance, it has been customary to interpose shims 0rwearing plates between the center bearing plates. S0 far as I am aware,such shims or wear plates have always heretofore involved an oif-setshoulder at the center thereof to lit over the male formed centerbearing plate and within the female formed center bearing plate. Shimsor wear plates of the character indicated, one ex: ample Vof lwhich isshown in Hennessey Patent 1,009,306 of November 21, 1911, cannot be madebeyond a certain minimum thickness because of the fact that it isnecessary to provide suicient metal between the inner and outervertically extending faces of the central off-set to prevent shearing.

Consequently, such shims or wear plates of the prior art cannot be usedwhere a relatively thin spacer is required between the center bearingplates or, if such shims of the prior art are employed, the result is tospace the center bearing plates and hence the car body from the trucks,a greater distance than is necessary which in itself is substantially asundesirable as the too close spacing of the car body and truck.

The object of my invention is to provide a shim or wear plate or spaceradapted to be interposed Ibetween the center bearing plates of a railwaycar which shim may be made of any desired thickness and particularly asthin as desired.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is avertical sectional view taken through portions of a body bolster andtruck bolster of a railway car at the king pin or center pin and showingmy improvements in connection therewith. And Figure 2 is a detailedperspective of my improved shim.

In said drawing, 10 denotes a car body bolster and 11 a truck bolster,both of the same being in the form of castings, as shown in the drawing.To the under side of the body bolster 10 is secured a body centerbearing plate 12 and secured to the upper side of the truck bolster 11is a truck center bearing plate 13. Asis customary, the center'bearingplate 12 is provided with a recess or female socket 14 and the centerbearing plate 13 is provided with an up-standing rib or male projection15 adapted to co-operate with the upper bearing plate 12. The bearingplates 12 and 13 are also provided with opposed co-operating sphericalbearing'faces 16--16.

Both bolsters and both bearing plates are centrally perforated toaccommodate a center or king pin which, in the instance shown, is of lspecial form comprising two outer pieces 17 17 and a centralspreader 18.The outer pieces 17-17 are shouldered at their upper and lower ends soas to extend over -corresponding adjacent parts of the two bolsters tothereby prevent vertical separation of the bolsters.

In carrying out lmy invention, I provide a shim or wear plate indicatedby thereforence A, the same having a main web'19 of any. desiredthickness apd particularly as thin as may be desired, the same beingprovided with upper and lower surfaces 20-20 corresponding to thespherical bearing surfaces 16-16 of the center bearing plates 12 and 13.The web 19 if my improved shim is centrally perforated as indicated at21 to accommodate the male projection 15 of the center bearing plate 13.Around its periphery, the shim A is provided with an integralupwardlyextended annular flange 22 overlapping the annular shoulder 23of the upper bearing plate and also with an integral depending annularflange 24 overlapping the periphery of the lower bearing plate 1f?.

With the construction of shim described, it is evident that relativemovement in horizontal planes between the upper and lower center bearingplates is prevented because of the peripheral annular flanges 22 and 24o f the shim and the web of thev shim may be made relatively thin tothereby obtain the exact spacing required from time to time.

Altho I have herein shown and described what I now consider thepreferred manner of carrying out the invention, the same is merelyillustrative and I contemplate such changes and modifications as comewithin the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A shim adapted to be interposed between the body and truck centerbearing plates of a car, wherein the center bearing plates are providedwith co-operating male and female formations; said shim having a web ofuniform thickness centrally perforated to accommodate the male formationof the center bearing plate therein and provided with upwardly anddownwardly extending exterior peripheral annular anges,

'the diametrical distance between ,the interior faces of each of saidflanges being substantially the same as the exterior diameter of thebearing face of the correspond ing bearing plate, whereby said flangesare adapted to overlie the peripheral outer faces of the body and truckcenter bearing plates, respectively, and retain the shim in assembledrelation to both of said center bearing plates when interposedtherebetween.

2. As an article of manufacture, a shim for center bearing plates of acar, comprising a centrally perforated disc having upper and lowerbearing faces co-extensive with the bearing faces of said plates; andannular upwardly and downwardly projecting peripheral ribs surroundingsaid bearing faces, said ribs being so arranged as to overlie and havethe interior faces only thereof, bear on the outer peripheral faces ofthe body and the center bearing plates, respective-ly, thereby retainingthe shim in assembled relation with respect to both of said plates andforming the sole means for preventing movement of said shim in a radialdirection relative to said plates when said shim is interposed betweensaid body and truck center bearing plates.

In witness that I claim the foregoing 1 have hereunto subscribed my namethis 3rd day of Feb., 1920.

CHARLES E. DA'IH.

Witness META SCHMIDT.

